Closure assembly for collapsible tube

ABSTRACT

A collapsible tube for toothpaste or the like having its discharge end provided with a nozzle characterized by a cylindrical neck merging into a slightly enlarged tapered head and provided at its inward end with an enlarged collar-like base. This base is united with a grooved portion of the tube&#39;&#39;s discharge end and the outstanding ledge has cams acting on an internal shoulder carried by a thimble-like sleeve surrounding the base, neck and head. This sleeve is rotatable and slidable. The nozzle is bifurcated to provide a pair of jaw-like furcations whose confronting faces are internally grooved in a manner to provide a dentifrice ejecting passage. The passage is inclined at an oblique angle and the outer end is provided with opposed lips defining an openable and closable mouth. The jaw-like furcations are compressibly squeezable by a rigid encompassing sleeve. This sleeve when oscillated or turned in one direction opens the mouth and when turned in an opposite direction closes the mouth, similar to the action of a chuck.

United States Patent Coleman 1 51 Aug. 15,1972

[54] CLOSURE ASSEMBLY FOR COLLAPSIBLE TUBE [21] Appl. No.: 62,034

[52] US. Cl ..222/490 [51] Int. Cl. ..B65d 25/40 [58] Field of Search..222/92, 106, 107, 2 l 2, 490,

[56] References Cited uN1TED STATES PATENTS 2,135,237 11/1938 Lewis etal.. ..222/490 2,997,216 8/1961 Henry ..222/490 3,520,457 7/1970 Stull..222/519 1,952,586 3/1934 Cruze er al. ..222/519 2,187,971 1/1940l-lerzig ..222 494 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 955,907 11/1947France ..222/494 Primary ExaminerRobert B. Reeves AssistantExaminer-Larry Martin Att0rney--Clarence A. O'Brien and Harvey B.Jacobson [ ABSTRACT A collapsible tube for toothpaste or the like havingits discharge end provided with a nozzle characterized by a cylindricalneck merging into a slightly enlarged tapered head and provided at itsinward end with an enlarged collar-like base. This base is united with agrooved portion of the tubes discharge end and the outstanding ledge has,cams acting on an internal shoulder carried by a thimble-like sleevesurrounding the base, neck and head. This sleeve is rotatable andslidable. The nozzle is bifurcated to provide a pair of jaw-likefurcations whose confronting faces are inter nally grooved in a mannerto provide a dentifrice ejecting passage. The passage is inclined at anoblique angle and the outer end is provided with opposed lips definingan openable and closable mouth. The jaw-like furcations are compressiblysqueezable by a rigid encompassing sleeve. This sleeve when oscillatedor turned in one direction opens the mouth and when turned in anopposite direction closes the mouth, similar to the action of a chuck.

4 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures CLOSURE ASSEMBLY FOR COLLAPSIBLE TUBE Thisinvention relates to readily openable and closable closures forcollapsible tubes such as currently employed as containers fortoothpaste, shaving cream, cosmetics and similar ready-to-usecommodities and pertains to permanently mounted or captive-type socalledcaps and the like and has to do, more particularly, with alongitudinally split expansible and contractable plastic nozzle and acomplemental rotary and reciprocatable thimble-like sleeve whichencompasses and is maintained in openable and closable position on thenozzle.

, An object of the invention is to improve upon captive-type collapsibletube closures and, in so doing, to provide a feasible and acceptableadaptation which well serves the purposes for which the invention hasbeen devised and can be unhesitatingly endorsed by manufacturers,wholesalers, retailers and users.

Briefly the invention is characterized by an integral axially projectingnozzle which embodies a short cylindrical neck merging at its outer endinto an integral slightly enlarged head. This neck is provided at itsinner end with an outstanding collar-like base which is united with acentral axial portion at the dispensing end of the tube and issurrounded by an endless annular relatively shallow channel. The base isprovided interiorly with a truncated conical cavity which in turnprovides a funnel and communicates with the receptacle portion of thetube or container. The head and neck components of the nozzle are splitlongitudinally, that is bifurcated in a manner to provide a pair ofconfronting face-toface jaw-like furcations. Axial portions of theconfronting faces are provided with grooves which conjointly define apassage communicating at one end with the funnel cavity and provided atthe tip or outer end of the head with a mouth. More particularly, theportions on opposite sides of the mouth are fashioned into companionlips. The nozzle is made of compressibly resilient plastic materialwhich has the inherent property to expand in a manner to open the mouth.The nozzle when squeezed and compressed closes the mouth and when notcompressed causes the mouth to open. The desired opening and closingresult is attained with the use of a manually turnable and slidablethimble-like sleeve which surrounds the base, neck and head portions ofthe nozzle. This sleeve is manually turnable and positionable on thenozzle and is adapted to act on the head in a manner to open and closethe mouth at will.

More specifically novelty is predicated on a nozzle which is made ofcompressibly yieldable plastic material. The sleeve is made of rigid andnon-yielding plastic material. The peripheral surface of the head issmooth and annular and this annular surface is inwardly diminished indiameter, bevelled and thus tapered toward the merging outer end of theneck. That portion of the bore of sleeve surrounding the tapered surfaceis correspondingly bevelled and suitably flared outwardly and snuglyencompasses the tapered surface. It follows that when the sleeve ismoved and forcibly slid longitudinally and outwardly relative to thehead, the head is squeezed and compressed in a manner to force the lipstogether and thus close the mouth. When the sleeve is slid inwardlytoward the base it permits the furcations of the head to expand in amanner to open the mouth.

Then too, novelty is predicated on providing the inner end of the sleevewith a flange which is cooperable with the channel or groove and with aninternal shoulder which is cooperable with cams provided on the ledgeportion of the aforementioned base part of the nozzle. The diametricallyopposite recesses on the thimble-like sleeve facilitate catching hold ofand turningthe sleeve in a predetermined direction for normally closingthe aforementioned mouth and in an opposite direction for opening themouth when one desires to squeeze dentifrice on the bristles of atoothbrush.

These together with other objects and advantages which will becomesubsequently apparent reside in the details of construction andoperation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, whereinlike numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

F IG. 1 is a view in perspective showing a fragmentary end portion of acollapsible toothpaste or similar tube wherein the top or ejecting endof the tube is provided with a captive-type closure assembly constructedin accordance with the invention and showing the lipequipped mouthclosed.

FIG. 2 is a view in perspective similar to FIG. 1 with the sleeveremoved and showing the specially contoured split or bifurcated nozzle.

FIG. 3 is a slightly enlarged view primarily in section takenapproximately on the plane of the vertical section line 3-3 of FIG. 1looking in the direction of the indicating arrows.

FIG. 4 is a view in section like FIG. 3 and showing the sameconstruction and arrangement of component parts but with thethimble-like sleeve retracted and with the head of the nozzle expandedand the dispensing mouth of the passage open.

FIG. 5 is a section taken approximately on the plane of the horizontalsection line 5-5 of FIG. 3 and FIG. 6 is a fragmentary view in sideelevation showing the discharge end portion of the tube and the nozzlewith the sleeve omitted.

The cylindrical body portion of the collapsible tube 8 is denoted by thenumeral 10. The concavo-convex integral discharge end is denoted at 12.With reference now to FIG. 6 in particular it will be noted that theaforementioned compressibly resilient plastic nozzle is denoted by thenumeral 14. This nozzle is characterized by three component parts;namely, a median cylindrical neck portion 16 which mergesat its outerend 18 with a complemental slightly enlarged head 20. The inward endportion of the neck is'integrated with an enlarged collar-like partwhich is here designated as a base 22 and which is united at 24 with thedischarge end 12. The bottom of the base 22 is encircled by a shallowendless groove 26. This base is interiorly provided with a truncatedconical cavity 28 (FIG. 3) which communicates with the receptacleportion 30 and which facilitates funneling the contents of the tube fordischarge purposes. It should be noted (FIGS. 2 and 6) that theoutstanding ledge portion of the base is procompanion jaw-likefurcations one jaw to the left at 36 in FIG. 3 and a complemental jaw tothe right at 38. The confronting or mating faces of these furcations areprovided with grooves 40 which co-act in defining a passage, that is,passage which is communicable with the funnel 28 at one end and whichopens through the convex tip 42 at the other end. This opening isprovided on opposite sides with slightly raised opposed lips 44 whichconjointly provide the desired openable and closable discharge mouth. Itwill be further noted that the passage is disposed at an oblique angleand is pitched from left to right in FIGS. 3 and 4 so that the mouth isoffset and closer to one side of the marginal edge 46 to provide aconvenient applicator, that is, an

applicator which assists in delivering the contents of the tube to thebristles of a toothbrush with requisite nicety. It will be further notedin FIG. 6 that the peripheral surface of the head 20, that is, thesurface 48 is inwardly diminished in diameter, is bevelled and thustapered toward and merges with the outer end of the neck 16 at thejunctional point 18 in FIG. 6. It follows that the nozzle 14 is uniquein that it is characterized by the collar-like base 22 integral with thegrooved discharge end 12, said base being at the inner end ofthecylindrical neck and the neck, in turn, merging into the annulartapering surface 48 of the head 20.

This structurally and functionally unique nozzle serves to accommodate acomplemental rigid plastic thimble-like sleeve 50. The sleeve isproportional in length with the overall length of the nozzle and isfittingly and aptly applied thereto as brought out in FIGS. 3 and.4 inparticular. The flanged inner end portion 52 of the sleeve is slidableand rotatable on the smooth annular surface 22 of the base. In fact theterminal end portion 52 of the flange is oriented with and cooperablewith the aforementioned channel or groove 26. The median portion of thebore of the sleeve is conformable with and slidable and rotatable withrespect to the cylindrical surface of the sleeve 16. The outer endportion of the bore of the sleeve is flared outwardly at 58 and iscooperatively associated with the annular tapering surface 48. It willbe further noted that the portion of the sleeve adjacent to the ledge ofthe base is provided with a shoulder 56 which is opposed to and iscooperable in a seemingly self-evident manner with the cams 32.

When the thimble-like sleeve 50 is in the forwardly projected positionshown in FIG. 3 the flared surface 58 cooperates with the bevel or taper48, compresses the component jaw-like furcations 36 and 38 and closesthe mouth of the nozzle 20. Keeping in mind that the shoulder 56 iscooperable with the lug-like cams 32 it will be obvious that the sleeve50 is rotatable and also reciprocable. When it is manually turned in theproper direction the sleeve acting on the nozzle serves to close thelips 44 of the mouth. When the sleeve is turned in an oppositedirection, it functions to permit the mouth to expand and open, as isbrought out in FIG. 4. To facilitate turning the sleeve clockwise ofcounterclockwise as desired the median exterior surface portions of asleeve are recessed, as at 60 to provide easy to use finger grips.

It is reiterated that by inclining the passageway, as brought out inFIGS. 3 and 4, the mouth at the convex tip 42 is offset to one side ofthe longitudinal axis of the nozzle whereby to provide a convenientlyusable applicator, that is, one which facilitates guiding and squeezingthe ejected dentifrice on to the bristles of a toothbrush.

It is submitted that a careful study of the views of the drawings singlyand collectively and an assessment of the same in conjunction with thedescription will enable the reader to obtain a clear and comprehensiveun derstanding of the component parts singly and collectively and tocomprehend themanner os use of this unique closure assembly.Accordingly, a more extended description is deemed to be unnecessary.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles ofthe invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes willreadily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limitthe invention to. the exact construction and operation shown anddescribed and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents maybe resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A dispensing container including an end wall at one end provided withan endwise outwardly projecting neck having an inner cylindrical baseend supported from said end wall and an outwardly flared outer end withthe inner end portions of said outer end being diametrically reducedrelative to said base end, said base end, at its outer portion, definingan outwardly facing annular shoulder including peripherally extendingramp surfaces, said neck base including an interior cavity opening intosaid container and said outer end portion of said neck having alongitudinal slot formed therein the outer end of said slot openingoutwardly of the free end of said neck and the inner end of said slotopening into said cavity, the opposing portions of said neck outer enddefining said slot having opposing registered longitudinal groovesformed therein opening into said cavity at one set of ends and defininga discharge opening at the outer end of said neck, said grooves defininga passage extending through said neck, said neck being constructed ofcompressibly resilient material which, when said outer end is squeezedand compressed, closes the outer end of said passage, a manuallyturnable sleeve rotatably mounted on said neck outer end and havinginner and outer ends, said sleeve having a bore formed therethroughwhose outer end is flared and conforms to the outer surfaces of saidouter end of said neck, said end wall having an outwardly opening grooveformed therein extending about the inner end portion of said neck, theinner end of said sleeve including a counter-bore in which said innerend of said neck is received and defining an annular shoulder at theinner end of said counter-bore opposing the first mentioned shoulder andhaving peripherally extending ramp surfaces engageable and cooperablewith thefirst mentioned ramp surfaces to shift said sleeve axiallyoutwardly along said neck to squeeze and compress the outer end thereofupon rotation of said sleeve in one direction on said neck, whereby toclose the outer end of said passage, the inner end of said sleeve beingtelescoped into said end wall groove when said sleeve is axiallydisplaced outwardly along said neck to close said passage and said endwall groove being sufficient in depth to allow inward shifting of saidsleeve from its outwardly axially 4. The combination of claim 1 whereinsaid passage is inclined at an angle oblique to the axis of said neckand the outer end of said passage being laterally offset relative to theneck center line to assume a location ad- 5 jacent to a marginal edge ofthe outer end of said neck in a manner to conveniently discharge thedentifrice onto the bristles of a brush.

1. A dispensing container including an end wall at one end provided withan endwise outwardly projecting neck having an inner cylindrical baseend supported from said end wall and an outwardly flared outer end withthe inner end portions of said outer end being diametrically reducedrelative to said base end, said base end, at its outer portion, definingan outwardly facing annular shoulder including peripherally extendingramp surfaces, said neck base including an interior cavity opening intosaid container and said outer end portion of said neck having alongitudinal slot formed therein the outer end of said slot openingoutwardly of the free end of said neck and the inner end of said slotopening into said cavity, the opposing portions of said neck outer enddefining said slot having opposing registered longitudinal groovesformed therein opening into said cavity at one set of ends and defininga discharge opening at the outer end of said neck, said grooves defininga passage extending through said neck, said neck being constructed ofcompressibly resilient material which, when said outer end is squeezedand compressed, closes the outer end of said passage, a manuallyturnable sleeve rotatably mounted on said neck outer end and havinginner and outer ends, said sleeve having a bore formed therethroughwhose outer end is flared and conforms to the outer surfaces of saidouter end of said neck, said end wall having an outwardly opening grooveformed therein extending about the inner end portion of said neck, theinner end of said sleeve including a counter-bore in which said innerend of said neck is received and defining an annular shoulder at theinner end of said counter-bore opposing the first mentioned shoulder andhaving peripherally extending ramp surfaces engageable and cooperablewith the first mentioned ramp surfaces to shift said sleeve axiallyoutwardly along said neck to squeeze and compress the outer end thereofupon rotation of said sleeve in one direction on said neck, whereby toclose the outer end of said passage, the inner end of said sleeve beingtelescoped into said end wall groove when said sleeve is axiallydisplaced outwardly along said neck to close said passage and said endwall groove being sufficient in depth to allow inward shifting of saidsleeve from its outwardly axially displaced position sufficient to allowthe outer end portion of said passage to open.
 2. The combination ofclaim 1 wherein the exterior surface portions of said sleeve areprovided with indented recesses defining finger grips.
 3. Thecombination of claim 1 wherein the outer end of said neck is convexlycontoured to provide an easy-to-use dentifrice discharging applicator.4. The combination of claim 1 wherein said passage is inclined at anangle oblique to the axis of said neck and the outer end of said passagebeing laterally offset relative to the neck center line to assume alocation adjacent to a marginal edge of the outer end of said neck in amanner to conveniently discharge the dentifrice onto the bristles of abrush.